The project Women as Central Agents of Peacebuilding in Colombia has entered its second year, meaning it is a good moment to evaluate our programmatic response and share some updates on what has been done so far. The project is a Dutch consortium with Colombian partners, aiming to influence change of beliefs, values and norms in favour of the women rights and promote women equal participation. LIMPAL, Health Works’s partner in Colombia is a sectional branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

Aluel Garang Tong is 32 years old and mother of six children. As a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) she assists midwifes in the Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) of Mayen Ulem, province of Aweil North, Republic of South Sudan. Aluel only speaks her local language, so we needed the help of one of the health workers to translate.

The creation of ‘friendly spaces’ for women and girls has been a key strategy in the protection and empowerment of women and girls in South-Sudan since conflict re-erupted in the country in December 2013. This document provides guidance on the aims of these spaces, and how they can best be established and managed in the South Sudan context.

Last month the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) granted Health Works more than 1 million dollar for the provision of life-saving services in Afghanistan. Health Works will provide life-saving primary health care, psychosocial, gender based violence (GVB), nutrition and protection services to conflict affected (mainly IDPs) and host population of the high priority districts of Kunduz and Uruzgan provinces. The focus will be on most vulnerable population, mainly women and children in 10 very hard to reach districts in Kunduz and Uruzgan.